** You will find further information and guidance in the Chess FAQ's
Q. I'm new here, so how can I start playing?
Select Join Games from the menubar** to view the various options. The most appropriate for a newcomer are probably the Suggest Opponent, or Suggest Variety options.
Suggest Opponent offers you the name of a suggested Opponent and, below, a summary of their ChessWorld performance and game preference. The main points to check are the time limit specified and the color with which you are playing. If you are going to be playing with White, remember that the first move has to be made by you!
You may also find it helpful to check the unique ChessWorld MoveMeter; green suggests that your Opponent moves well within the specified time limit; red suggests that your Opponent tends to take rather more time to make their moves.
If the first player offered does not appeal to you then you can use the Skip button to find an alternative Opponent.
When you are happy with the selection click the Choose this Opponent button at the bottom of the page.
Suggest Variety offers you a list of 5 players, with the detals noted above. Before you make a selection, you should check the time limit for the game(s). Do you have the time to make moves every day, for example, or would you prefer a more relaxed time period? Only you can make those decisions but by making careful choices before you embark on the game you will be more likely to be playing a game that you will enjoy.
If any players on the list offered do not appeal to you then use the Skip button to find alternative Opponent(s). If you repeat this process you may find that the number of players on the list will reduce as the pool of available players is used up. In this way you could select fewer that 5 players if that was your wish.
The number of players that you will see initially may be less than the maximum because you are already playing one or more game(s). Guest Members are subject to a limit, which may vary from time to time, on the number of concurrent games, with the exception of games in our special Guest Welcoming Tournament.
When you are happy with the selection click the Choose these players button at the top of the page.
** Some options on the Join Games menu are only available to Full Members. In those cases the screen will advise you.
Q. How can I make my move?
Making moves on ChessWorld is easy!
Simply click on the piece you want to move and then click on the square where you want the piece to be, (the 'destination' square). If you are happy with that position, then simply click on the Confirm button.
If you decide that you have made a mistake, or a weak move, you can cancel the move, provided that you have not clicked
the Confirm button, of course, by simply clicking the Undo button.
By default, the Piece Movement Style is set to Classic Click and Click.
This can be changed to Drag and Drop by visiting My Stuff ... My Moves.
Q. How can I move to the next game?
That's easy too!
Just click on the Next button and the game board will show you the move that your next Opponent has made.
Q. I'm playing several games, but how can I move to the next board?
When you are playing multiple games those that are waiting for you to move are displayed in the order 'longest waiting' to 'newest waiting'. As you make a move you can press the Next button and the next game on the list will be displayed.
If you would prefer to leave that game for the time being and move on, simply press the Skip button.
Q. How many games can I play at a time?
Full Members may play as many concurrent games as they wish, and may choose rated or unrated games, whichever they prefer. They may also take part in as many Tournaments, in any of the formats that we offer, with no restriction. In addition they may also join up to 10 Teams if they wish to participate in League play.
Guest Members are subject to a limit, which may be varied from time to time, on the number of concurrent games that they can play. However, this limit is extended for those players who have enrolled in, or have been invited to join, one of our special All-play-All Guest Welcoming Tournaments.
Guest Members are not allowed to play in any other Tournament format nor may they join Teams. Occasionally, we may offer special promotions when, subject to our absolute discretion, this rule may be relaxed for a period of time
Q. Can I play in rated games?
Full Members can always play in rated games if they prefer the competitive element.
Guest Members can, normally, only play in rated games if they have have enrolled in, or have been invited to one of our specialist Guest Welcoming Tournaments. However, if you are invited by, or choose, a site Welcomer, any games with that player will be rated.
Q. After I've started a game, how will I know when it is my turn to move?
Whenever your opponent makes a move we immediately Email the details to you.
Because we use this system it is important that you make sure that you always maintain your Email address which you can do at any time by visiting My Stuff ... My Email. If you remove your Email address, or change it into an invalid address, you will no longer have the convenience of being able to check the progress of your games without visiting the site and checking your game load from an appropriate menu option.
Occasionally, your ISP may delay, misroute or block your Email traffic. Clearly, such events are beyond our control. However, in case of doubt, be assured that ChessWorld always posts move notification Emails. If you have any queries about this topic please refer to the
Email section in the General FAQ.
Q. I'm playing a game, so why can't I see it when I log on?
If you are only playing one game and it is not your turn to move, you will not see the game board. The best way to avoid this happening to you is to play several games at the same time. If you do this you will always see the last board that you played on and, if an opponent has made a move, that game will be automatically displayed.
You can still use those options as and when you wish, but you may find that the easiest way to find an opponent is to go to the Join Games menu and click on Join Games ... Search by Quick List. You will see a list of available opponents and you can select whichever one you wish. You may wish to play someone with a higher, or lower, rating than yourself, or may want to consider the time limit for that particular game, or you may feel that you would prefer to meet a player from a different Country.
The choice, as with everything on ChessWorld, is yours!
Q. I want to choose a particular kind of opponent. Is that possible?
Yes. If you are a Full Member, go to the Join Games ... Search by Details menu where you will be able to choose from a number of different options that will allow you to specify the exact type of opponent that you wish to play.
If you are a Guest Member you cannot use this option. However, by carefully checking some of the suggestions that you are presented with when you access the
Join Games ... Search by Quick List you will almost certainly find an opponent that meets your particular interests.
Q. Can I send game invitations to other players?
Full Members may send out individual invitations to other Members by using any of the 'Invitation' links that appear on every Homepage. If the other Member has opted to turn off any, or all, of these by visiting My Stuff ... My Email, they will show Invitation off and you will not be able to send an invite.
Guest Members may invite their Welcomer for further games but they cannot send invites to other Members.
All Members may send unlimited invites by Email, via Join Games ... Invite your Friends, to any family, friends or colleagues who have not already been registered as Members of ChessWorld.
Whenever you send out an Invitation, either internally, to an existing Member, or externally, to a friend or colleague, you can check the details by visiting My Stuff ... My Invitations and checking the relevant Outgoing options.
Tournament Play
Q. What is a Welcoming Tournament?
Opportunities to join one of our unique ChessWorld Guest Welcoming Tournaments are available to all Guest Members. On every play page there will be a clickable link to join one of our auto-enrol 4 player All-play-All format Tournaments with a 3 day time limit providing each player with a total of six games, three with each color. As soon as the enrolment is completed the Tournament starts so that there is minimum waiting time.
We also offer, at regular intervals, the opportunity join one of our 10 player All-play-All format Tournaments with a 7 day time limit which provide each player with a total of 18 games, nine with each color. These Tournaments are Invitation based and may take a little longer to complete the enrolment process. Whilst there are no specific guidelines we generally offer these opportunities to those Guest
Members who have demonstrated their interest in playing chess on ChessWorld.
As we feel that our Tournaments offer extra opportunities, we allow Guest Members to take part in these extra games over and above our normal limit on concurrent games. Tournament games are always rated, which allows our newer Members an ideal opportunity to not only enjoy the challenges of Tournament play but also the chance to begin to build up their playing record.
Q. How can I play in a Welcoming Tournament?
If you wish to take part in one of our auto-enrol Welcoming Tournaments, simply click on the link that you will see on the 'play' page. This will place you in the next available Tournament and will match you with players who have a similar ChessWorld rating. As soon as the Tournament is fully enrolled it will start, normally within a few hours. Remember that it is your turn to make the first move with White!
If you receive an invitation for one of our other Welcoming Tournaments, and you wish to take part, simply accept it, otherwise please click on the 'Decline' option.
Because we send out multiple invitations it is possible that the particular Tournament will already have been filled. In such cases, you should still accept the invitation as by so doing your name will be placed on an internal 'waitlist' and will then be available for us to place in the next available Tournament.
This process is carried out at regular intervals, and, under normal circumstances, you should be placed in a Tournament within 2 or 3 days of your initial acceptance.
Q. Will I be able to play in further Welcoming Tournaments?
Yes, subject to our current operating policy. We offer each of our Guest Members the opportunity to play in at least one of our All-play-All Welcoming Tournaments so that they have the opportunity to sample one of our most popular features. Because these Tournaments provide the opportunity for multiple rated games, a feature normally only available to Full Members, we do, in fairness to those Members, restrict the number of invitations to each Guest Member.
Occasionally, however, and at our absolute discretion, we may organise 'second tier' Welcoming Tournaments especially for those Guest Members who have shown that they are committed to the site. There is no fixed schedule for such extra Tournaments and they are only made available to selected Members. Actively soliciting Admins, or the HelpDesk, for an invitation would generally be regarded as a reason to remove you from further consideration.
Q. Why are there so many players in a Welcoming Tournament?
This is normally only an issue for our occasional, larger, Guest Welcoming Tournaments. We are aware that, by offering places for 10 players in these Tournaments, we can be quite certain that, even if one or two players drop out, or perhaps just lose interest, there are still enough games and opponents to provide an interesting competition.
Remember that, if all players take an active part, there will be a maximum of 18 games to play, nine with each color. Clearly, if some players drop out, or decide not to take part, the game load will be reduced accordingly.
Q. There are too many games for me. Can I join a smaller Welcoming Tournament?
The larger ChessWorld Guest Welcoming Tournaments, which are offered by Invitation, are always configured for 10 player All-play-All. We also offer a smaller, 4 player All-play-All format which is set up automatically. If you are eligible for one of these you will see a trophy icon in the Messages area of the Play page. These are set up according the ability range and start as soon as four players have been enrolled. Some of our Full Members also, from time to time, organise small, albeit unofficial, invitation Tournaments for newcomers.
Miscellaneous
Q. Can I just browse around the site and see what's going on?
Yes, of course you can!
You can often learn a lot about the game by observing how other players deal with a particular position. A quick and easy way to see what has just been played is to visit the Games Gallery, which you can visit by clicking on the Community ... Members Playing Now link.
You could also spend a little time browsing around the FAQ pages - after all you are already here! - or you can look at our Site Features, which you can view by pressing the link on the
Help menu.
Q. Why do you need my Email address?
As you already know, we use your Email address to contact you and confirm your Registration. We also use your Email address to notify you about any moves that are made by your Opponent(s) and, as you become eligible, to notify you that you have been invited to one of our unique
Guest Welcoming Tournaments.
If you ever need to contact our HelpDesk, we can only reply to you directly on that Forum. As a courtesy to you, we also Email a copy of our reply, which you may wish to keep for future reference.
If you should ever lose, or forget, your password, your Email address is the only way that you can be reminded. This is for your security - if you are ever in this situation, all you need do is visit the login page, enter your Nickname, or your current Email address, (which you entered when you registered or subsequently modified), and then click on the
Email My Password button. The Email is automatically generated and cannot be viewed by anyone other than the addressee.
Q. Can I use any assistance in deciding my moves?
That depends! As we state in the Member Assistance And Fair Play section of our Terms and Conditions the use of certain forms of assistance, and, especially using chess engines, is not allowed. However, as ChessWorld is, in effect, a Correspondence Chess organization, those forms of assistance that are allowed in conventional Correspondence Chess are allowed, for example, Opening Books and similar textual reference material.
Q. Can I play any games in real time?
No, ChessWorld does not provide the facility to play such games.
However, it is possible that you will meet opponents from time to time who may well be on-line at the same time as yourself. In such cases, and subject to you both agreeing, it would be possible to play games quite quickly, even if you did not manage to finish them in one session.
A useful and interesting alternative if you want to play some rapid games at times is to take advantage of our Play like the Masters feature. This is available, via the
Improve ... menu, for Full Members only. This feature allows you to select any one of the many thousands of games in our Masters Collection, and then take the part of one of the players. You can then try to emulate the play of the Master: when you make the correct move the screen responds with the next move of your virtual opponent and you can then attempt the next move.
It is possible to play these games as fast, or as slow, as you wish and they provide a unique opportunity whereby you will always find an opponent whenever you wish. This is the unique ChessWorld advantage over conventional Blitz games where you may have to wait for a period of time before you can even locate an opponent.
Q. Who is my Referrer?
Usually, your Referrer is the person that you identified when you completed your original subscription details. However, if you did not specify a particular Member you will be allocated a Referrer from our pool of Members.
The importance of your Referrer is that, when, or if, you decide to become a Full Member, and pay the Full annual subscription yourself, they will be awarded two free months on their own subscription. We do this as an encouragement for our Full Members so that they are rewarded for either introducing you to the site, or for their various efforts in offering you advice and support.
Q. Can I change my Referrer?
Yes, you can. As long as you have not already made the decision to join us as a Full Member, we can change your current Referrer to any person that you wish to nominate.
If you wish to take advantage of this facility, and ensure that your Referrer gets due credit, please contact the HelpDesk with the name, and if possible, the UserID of the person you wish to nominate as your referrer.
Do not upgrade your Membership until you have checked on your homepage that the correct name for your Referrer is shown.
Q. How can I remove the introductory YouTube video from the play page?
This video feature is provided from time to time as a service to new Members and will automatically disappear after several visits to the site. However, if you find it to be obtrusive you should visit the My Stuff ... My Moves page and change the current Preferred move score option from the current setting show a 'very' shorthand PGN ... to another choice.
Q. I've tried ChessWorld but it is not for me - what do I do now?
We are sorry that you did not find something to interest you on ChessWorld, but we do understand that we may not offer the particular features or functions for which you are looking.
To leave us, all you need to do is visit the My Stuff ... My Email page, delete your Email address, replace it with an asterisk, (*), and then press the Submit button. After that we will not be able to contact you in future and your Account with us is effectively closed.
Q. I've tried ChessWorld and I like it. How can I become a Full Member?
Welcome to the ChessWorld experience!
Joining us is easy - click on the link in the Unlock the secrets pop up box, or visit My Stuff ... My Subscription
.
Whichever you choose you will be taken to our Subscription page where you will be given the relevant information on current subscriptions and methods of payment. If you have a credit card you may use either of our Agents, PayPal or RBS WorldPay, with absolute confidence. They handle all of the processing regarding your credit details and, after verifying your payment, inform us of the successful transaction. Your credit details are not passed to us at any time. We do urge you to keep a copy of any electronic receipt that our Agents may issue until such time as you have confirmed your Full Membership.
Please be assured that when you do pay your initial subscription, it is for one year only; we do not offer automatic renewals as we believe that you, and only you, can make that decision, without any undue pressure from us. However, about a month before your subscription runs out we will send you a reminder by email; if you have enjoyed your Full Member experience we hope that you will consider renewing your subscription!
Q. Is it worth joining ChessWorld as a Full Member?
Only you can decide, of course, but your answers to these questions may help your reach your decision.
- Do I want to play unlimited concurrent games?
- Do I want to play in unlimited Tournaments?
- Do I want to create my own Tournaments?
- Are there some Full Member only features that I want to use?
We hope that you will feel that is is worth joinng us as a Full Member, but if you don't we are quite happy that you should continue using and enjoying ChessWorld as far as possible. You can always think about subscribing at a later time!
Chessworld.net founded in 2000 is an online chess site.
